Any Celebrity fans left in here?

[zitsky]

55 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I like the Millenium...

On her in Bali in a year.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I've always enjoyed my experiences on Celebrity ships.  The decisions coming down from Miami not so much.  Waiting to see if they quit gouging solos and get more realistic on their suite pricing.  This year most of my travel $ will probably go to land trips.  Am also looking at other lines.

[zitsky]

8 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I've always enjoyed my experiences on Celebrity ships.  The decisions coming down from Miami not so much.  Waiting to see if they quit gouging solos and get more realistic on their suite pricing.  This year most of my travel $ will probably go to land trips.  Am also looking at other lines.

In hindsight I could have booked Aqua for the Millie and tried a Move Up bid to save a few dollars on my SS.  But I may do a bid anyway maybe for a Celebrity Suite.

[alyssamma]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I’m a fan of most things Celebrity. 

Me too... except for the increase in prices 😀

[Stockjock]

My favorite cruise lines are Celebrity and MSC.  That said, I do notice a deterioration in the Celebrity experience, mostly in terms of the food served in the MDR.  MSC seems to be holding steady or improving in most areas.

But sure, I like Celebrity.  But some of that "wow factor" has left the building (or is it ship?).

[verizon]

10 hours ago, keesar said:

I love the cruisers who book suites for a couple of months each year. Especially with the hefty price increases.   They helped raise the stock price to over $120 a share.  

Well those suites are subsidized from the dividend of the stock price of RCL.LOL

There is nothing not to like Celebrity if they offer you free WIFI, free Laundry and free Premium Drink Package.

 

Edited January 17 by verizon

[BP99]

12 hours ago, keesar said:

I love the cruisers who book suites for a couple of months each year. Especially with the hefty price increases.   They helped raise the stock price to over $120 a share.  

Hi,

Love your comment but I'm AMAZED about how many loyal Elite (and above) and Diamond and above

(RCL) cruisers don't have RCL shares. When I meet them (Happy hour) I often ask whether they get 

shareholder benefits. MOST say No! I LOVE getting FREE $250 or $100 OBC on EACH cruise I take!  Some they tell me they are worried about buying RCL shares and if they stop cruising. HUH?? Also, some think they have to buy RCL stock for each cruise they take. HUH? Since we bought RCL several decades ago it has tripled! Also during COVID, RCL stock was down and a great time to get in for newbies. It went back up quickly! The ONLY thing I miss is the dividends that they had. That was like a TRIPLE bonus for

a shareholders!!

Bill

[BP99]

3 hours ago, verizon said:

Well those suites are subsidized from the dividend of the stock price of RCL.LOL

There is nothing not to like Celebrity if they offer you free WIFI, free Laundry and free Premium Drink Package.

 

Hi, I'm not sure what you mean about "subsidized from the dividend of the stock price of RCL." They (RCL) stopped paying dividends

a few years ago. Thanks! Bill 

[bikerunner]

Celebrity ships are great corporate not so muvh.  After my TA in april probably will bot be sailing on celebrity for at least 2 years or longer.  Have decided to go smaller ships azamara, oceana, and river cruises plus many if the trips have land based travel associated we are doing. 

[poffles]

I don't sail as much as some others do, but this past year I have been fortunate enough to sail three cruises with them and since my first sailing with them on the Summit (2014) I have not gone back to sail anything else.  My cruises this year were all that I expected but I do find myself now thinking of looking around at other cruise lines but it's more to have something new to experience.  Could even be a royal cruise to utilize status matching.

 

For me personally, Celebrity service has been excellent and I personally have not experienced any change in that area.  The food, well I am a buffet person for most meals and I cannot cheerlead that because it has definitely changed, especially for dinner/supper and the MDR is very limited in choices.  I was on Apex/Reflection B2B in Nov/Dec 23 and I can't say I recall much difference in this area so don't think it's new vs old ship.  Interestingly going from Apex to Reflection I found myself loving the Reflection more, especially for it's more comforting feeling in the public areas.

 

When I think of other cruise lines I get reminded of why I have stuck with Celebrity and think of my comparable experiences prior.   NCL last sailing (Epic) was terrible, the service just pushed me over the edge, Carnival was...well it was Carnival but it was a long time ago so to be fair maybe it's improved 🙂. 

 

I will agree with others though that the cost still has to align with product/services rendered and there is definitely a point where a person has to ponder value to them. I am not a suite passenger so I can only speak to my experiences sailing in a veranda or lower stateroom and clearly these are two different products and clearly two different costs 😉

 

Long story long ... on my first Celebrity sailing on the Summit we were at the airport at the end of the cruise waiting in long line to check in and we got talking to a couple behind us and it ended up they were on the same sailing as us.  Well they definitely viewed/experienced things differently than us, the woman could not stop going on with complaints and I was dumbfounded. Apparently it was their first Celebrity too (not first cruise) and they sailed based on their sister hyping Celebrity but clearly it didn't live up for them!  Again, dumbfounded and afterwards me and my travel partner kept saying to each other how we could not believe we were on the same cruise.  It was a perfect display of how you can't paint a broad brush on what your experience might be as there are so many factors in play.  For them it was never again, boy was she mad, for us it was OMG that was the best with thoughts of 'they even serve you coffee at your table at the buffet' LOL

 

 

Edited January 17 by poffles

[GenerationX]

I still consider myself very much a Celebrity fan!  

As others have said, certain cabin classes and amenities are a harder sell for me right now due to reductions in inclusions while increasing price (really, either one I could’ve gone along with by itself, but charging much more AND providing much less was a bridge too far for me), but when I’m in the market for a cruise vacation I don’t think I’ll ever NOT include Celebrity when comparing options.  
 

I’m also already hearing rumblings through the social media rumor mill that some of those reductions are currently or will be in the near future restored to prior state.  So I’m cautiously hopeful for the future.

 

My better half and I recently decided to impulse book a cruise for next month and were looking at last minute trip price point options on MSC and Celebrity.
 

I think it says something that we decided to pass on yacht club on MSC (priced $1800 less than a sky suite on Celebrity) and instead step down in price and book a basic veranda on an older Celebrity ship.  I’ve been very happy with the MSC cruises that I’ve tried, but at the end of the day, for now, as far as overall cruising experience Celebrity is still our favorite line.  Hopefully our onboard experience in a couple of weeks confirms that we made a good choice!

[cgolf1]

Yup Celebrity is our go to. Celebrity blows away Disney, Royal, and HAL with how they handle food allergies, especially the buffet, which was a game changer for me. Since we sail insides by choice, lines like Viking or the Yacht club on MSC are not for us.

Edited January 17 by cgolf1

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, poffles said:

 

Long story long ... on my first Celebrity sailing on the Summit we were at the airport at the end of the cruise waiting in long line to check in and we got talking to a couple behind us and it ended up they were on the same sailing as us.  Well they definitely viewed/experienced things differently than us, the woman could not stop going on with complaints and I was dumbfounded. Apparently it was their first Celebrity too (not first cruise) and they sailed based on their sister hyping Celebrity but clearly it didn't live up for them!  Again, dumbfounded and afterwards me and my travel partner kept saying to each other how we could not believe we were on the same cruise.  It was a perfect display of how you can't paint a broad brush on what your experience might be as there are so many factors in play.  For them it was never again, boy was she mad, for us it was OMG that was the best with thoughts of 'they even serve you coffee at your table at the buffet' LOL

 

 

Are you sure you were at the airport?  Because it sounds like a typical post in this forum.

[georgiaguy]

My last cruise with Celebrity was an incredible trip. I am sure there were things that were not perfect but I cant remember any at this point. By contrast, I was on a Royal cruise last weekend as part of a group and there were definitely things where I found myself going…I like how Celebrity does this a little different. 

[billc23]

17 hours ago, keesar said:

I love the cruisers who book suites for a couple of months each year. Especially with the hefty price increases.   They helped raise the stock price to over $120 a share.  

You are welcome! 

[poffles]

4 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Are you sure you were at the airport?  Because it sounds like a typical post in this forum.

 

I know right!  I think that stood out more given we literally had all just stepped off, but ya I guess here it is witnessed even in live reports. It just shows how things can all be so different which is proof we have to do a bit of shading on what we hear or read and then consider our own expectations along side it all.  Easier said than done I guess the more we read and hear between time on board.

[grandgeezer]

5 hours ago, BP99 said:

Hi,

Love your comment but I'm AMAZED about how many loyal Elite (and above) and Diamond and above

(RCL) cruisers don't have RCL shares. When I meet them (Happy hour) I often ask whether they get 

shareholder benefits. MOST say No! I LOVE getting FREE $250 or $100 OBC on EACH cruise I take!  Some they tell me they are worried about buying RCL shares and if they stop cruising. HUH?? Also, some think they have to buy RCL stock for each cruise they take. HUH? Since we bought RCL several decades ago it has tripled! Also during COVID, RCL stock was down and a great time to get in for newbies. It went back up quickly! The ONLY thing I miss is the dividends that they had. That was like a TRIPLE bonus for

a shareholders!!

Bill

Since you mentioned the rise in price over several decades I’ll mention my biggest and best performing asset. My 401k is made up of mutual funds with the S&P 500 Index being one. In the last four decades it’s up almost 2,800% (that is not a typo). The whole 401k has performed better than my wildest dreams. The dividends are paid in cash, that can be spent anywhere rather than obc that have to be spent on items that are grossly overpriced on a ship. Also it’s paid every year without any financial commitment from me.

[JDPCruisers]

3 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

Since you mentioned the rise in price over several decades I’ll mention my biggest and best performing asset. My 401k is made up of mutual funds with the S&P 500 Index being one. In the last four decades it’s up almost 2,800% (that is not a typo). The whole 401k has performed better than my wildest dreams. The dividends are paid in cash, that can be spent anywhere rather than obc that have to be spent on items that are grossly overpriced on a ship. Also it’s paid every year without any financial commitment from me.

We have RCL shares, got it at almost its lowest COVID price and it has performed very well (up ~500%). Of course, hindsight as we should have bought more but available funds to do so along with the 401k taking a big hit then! We have friends that have Carnival stock during COVID downside and out about to cut their losses/break even on that one. S

[billc23]

57 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

Since you mentioned the rise in price over several decades I’ll mention my biggest and best performing asset. My 401k is made up of mutual funds with the S&P 500 Index being one. In the last four decades it’s up almost 2,800% (that is not a typo). The whole 401k has performed better than my wildest dreams. The dividends are paid in cash, that can be spent anywhere rather than obc that have to be spent on items that are grossly overpriced on a ship. Also it’s paid every year without any financial commitment from me.

8.4% annual return if compounded monthly and including dividends. 

 

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”

― Albert Einstein

[JDPCruisers]

5 hours ago, GenerationX said:

I still consider myself very much a Celebrity fan!  

As others have said, certain cabin classes and amenities are a harder sell for me right now due to reductions in inclusions while increasing price (really, either one I could’ve gone along with by itself, but charging much more AND providing much less was a bridge too far for me), but when I’m in the market for a cruise vacation I don’t think I’ll ever NOT include Celebrity when comparing options.  
 

I’m also already hearing rumblings through the social media rumor mill that some of those reductions are currently or will be in the near future restored to prior state.  So I’m cautiously hopeful for the future.

 

My better half and I recently decided to impulse book a cruise for next month and were looking at last minute trip price point options on MSC and Celebrity.
 

I think it says something that we decided to pass on yacht club on MSC (priced $1800 less than a sky suite on Celebrity) and instead step down in price and book a basic veranda on an older Celebrity ship.  I’ve been very happy with the MSC cruises that I’ve tried, but at the end of the day, for now, as far as overall cruising experience Celebrity is still our favorite line.  Hopefully our onboard experience in a couple of weeks confirms that we made a good choice!

Look forward to following along if you decide to update us on your experience. Will be interested if restoring reductions does indeed happen and what they end up being. 

[The Fun Researcher]

I don't have bias either way regarding Celebrity.  I'll "call it like I see it."  I gave a ho-hum review of the Equinox on our most recent cruise the 5 nights before Christmas 2023.  Our prior 7 night cruise in 2017 on the same ship was great.

 

Here's  a Celebrity compliment...

On embarkation day, I LOVED that I could drop off our carry-ons into the room before they were fully ready to be occupied.

[Lynn2629]

I enjoyed my cruise on Equinox last spring, but I’m out until they stop slapping solos across the face. The prices listed on the website on a per-person are very doable, when I simply double it, but when I plug in “1” the price skyrockets.

 

When Celebrity decides solos are welcome on their ships, I’ll reconsider. Until then, I can go on a true luxury line for the same price as “Solo Gauging” charged by Celebrity.

Edited January 17 by Lynn2629

[Stockjock]

I talk a lot about MSC vs. Celebrity, as those are the 2 cruise lines I mostly sail on.  Both have their pluses and minuses.

But I recently got back from 7 nights on World Europa out of Barcelona over the NYE holiday.  

So here's what I booked.

1 bedroom Aurea suite w/a huge balcony.  Most spa services 40% off w/Aurea.

2 "Easy Plus" drink package for 2.

3. Wi-Fi for both of us.

4. 4 specialty restaurants (we paid for 3, 1 free due to diamond status).

5. Excursions for 5 of the 6 days that we stopped at a port.

6. Chocolate dipped strawberries in the room (minor thing).

7. They also included 2 bottles of sparkling wine & other snacks.

8. I think we got $200 OBC.

Total cost over the holiday?  $2577 for the two of us.

Imagine with something like that would cost for a similar experience on Celebrity, particularly over NYE.

Here's the cabin I booked.

 

[barbels]

Generation X Are you by any chance on the Jan 29 Silly cruise?  i’ve followed your live from posts with great pleasure. If we’re on the same ship Barry and I would love to meet you for drinks. 

Barbara

[goofysmom99]

I look at the shareholder benefit as a nontaxable dividend and lately, have been applying it to gratuities.